Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has hailed compatriot Rodrigo De Paul for helping him bond with his national teammates. The Inter Miami attacker said that De Paul’s personality reminded him of former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Messi and De Paul are widely known to be fast friends. The Atletico Madrid midfielder is often seen around the Barcelona legend at training and while traveling to international match-ups.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner claimed that if it wasn’t for De Paul, he would not have been able to get friendly with his national teammates due to his shy and reserved nature.
Messi said on the Clank! podcast (via Roy Nemer on X):
“It is very difficult to get into the groups, also because of the way I am. Rodrigo [De Paul] helped me a lot. He reminded me a lot of Pocho [Ezequiel Lavezzi].”
Lavezzi’s international journey started just as Messi burst onto the scene. The pair won the gold medal together at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and made 40 appearances alongside each other (36 for the senior team). Lavezzi assisted Messi on six occasions, with the latter returning the favor twice.
On the other hand, De Paul made his debut for La Albiceleste in October 2018 and has gone on to make 64 more appearances since. He has played alongside Messi 52 times, with the duo lifting the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup together.